Hochul Sends Notice To Correction Officers Striking Over Working Conditions

Alright, folks, let’s get into it because this one’s a doozy. New York correction officers are fed up, they’re striking over dangerous conditions, and Governor Kathy Hochul’s response? Threaten them with arrest, cut their health insurance, and send state troopers to their homes with legal orders. You’d think we were talking about hardened criminals, not the men and women responsible for keeping New York’s prisons from descending into chaos.

So, what’s this all about?

Correction officers and sergeants across New York started striking last week in response to worsening conditions inside state prisons—conditions that they say have been directly caused by Democratic criminal justice reforms. The HALT Act, which was passed in 2022, was supposed to create “more humane” alternatives to solitary confinement, but according to the officers on the ground, it’s done nothing but make prisons more dangerous. Since its implementation, reports show a 169% increase in inmate-on-inmate assaults, a 76% increase in inmate-on-staff assaults, and a 32% increase in contraband cases.

And instead of addressing these concerns, Hochul’s solution has been to attack the officers who dared to speak out.

She’s taken a legal route first, using New York’s Taylor Law, which prohibits public employees from striking. A state Supreme Court justice in Erie County issued a restraining order, and Hochul’s administration wasted no time sending state troopers to serve papers on the striking officers. If they don’t return to work? They could be arrested. On top of that, Hochul has decided to hit them where it really hurts—by stopping their health insurance. If they can’t afford to pay the full premium, they’ll lose coverage entirely.

That’s right—officers who are literally risking their lives every day in increasingly violent prisons are being threatened with arrest and loss of healthcare for refusing to work under unsafe conditions.

The correction officers' concerns are far from baseless. In the days leading up to the strike, the Collins Correctional Facility in Erie County had to be locked down due to an inmate uprising. Meanwhile, officers have been forced to work grueling shifts—sometimes exceeding 48 hours—just to keep facilities running. And yet, instead of addressing these conditions, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) reportedly put out a memo advising prison superintendents that 70% staffing is now considered 100% staffing. In other words, they’re normalizing understaffing.

It’s no wonder officers feel abandoned. Even their own union, the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), has not backed the strike, making this a “wildcat strike”—a movement born out of pure desperation.

But make no mistake, public support for the officers is growing. Retired officers are stepping up to voice their frustrations, sharing firsthand accounts of just how bad things have gotten. Suzanne Furman, a recently retired sergeant, described how unpredictable and dangerous the job has become: “You go to work and you don’t know if you’re gonna go home, and that’s a true statement.”

Others have shared personal stories of violent attacks. A female officer at Green Haven Correctional Facility was tackled to the ground by an inmate who ripped out her hair—he was only charged with harassment in the second degree, a mere violation, not a crime. Another officer revealed he was punched in the face three times in 30 days. And a female officer at Groveland Correctional Facility was choked, punched, and kicked in the face and body while sitting at her desk.

These are not isolated incidents. This is the new reality for correction officers in New York.

Finally, after a week of escalation, mediation between the striking officers and the state began on Monday. DOCCS has reportedly made an offer, including double overtime pay, rescinding the staffing reduction memo, and suspending certain parts of the HALT Act. But let’s be clear—offering overtime pay doesn’t solve the fundamental issue of why these officers are overworked and unsafe in the first place.